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Ernst Goedicke English SadleOriginalAll Purpose Saddles

Purchase: Given to me by a friend and client who's horse had been injured. I took the horse home with me and rehabilitated her over a 2 month period. The saddle was given to me as a thank you. This saddle came over from Germany in the early 1980's brand new. When I received it there were no marks on the billets it was brand new but old. The price when it arrived from Germany was $2,300 but the owner just kept it and never used it.

Likes: The saddle is a 17'1/2" seat with a 31.5 cm gullet/tree width. Fits horses true to size, I am using it on my 16'2" quarter horse and it fits him better than any other saddle I have tried. The panels are wool flocked but haven't needed any remodeling to fit a variety of horses. There are long knee rolls and calf blocks providing a secure seat for trail, fox hunting, general English riding and jumping. I have used this saddle for beginning XC lessons so some basic dressage and low fences to 2.5ft. The panels are 16 inches from bar to bottom and quite straight but with a knee roll underneath. I can ride this saddle on different horses and the position feels the same to me. The leather is Buffalo and will literally never wear out. .

Dislikes: The saddle was perfect for me when I first started to ride it. Now I am a year into lessons and need a saddle with a more forward flap as my instructor is shortening my leathers 4 holes from where I started and this puts my knee on my 32 in. femur ahead of the knee rolls. The leather is Buffalo and is not pretty and doesn't shine up like the calf or grained leather of other saddles. The billets are very short so had to buy a 54 in girth, 2 inches longer than my other saddles take for the same horses. I thought about having the flaps padded for comfort but when I quit trying to ride it with shortened stirrups I discovered it was very comfortable with the plain flaps.

Quality: This saddle is of very high quality materials and construction. The leather is Buffalo, the stitches are all secure and intact. I have applied layers of Lexol and it has softened up nicely even after all the years just sitting in a house. The tree appears to be flexible or adjustable which explains why it fits all 4 of my different horses well. At the top of the front gullet, in the arch of the pommel the gullets are not attached but separate for each side. I've never seen that before.

Summary: I will keep this saddle forever, I will always have a use for it other than big fences which is the only thing it is not suitable for.